Culcita Agassiz 1836

Culcita Agassiz 1836 Diagnosis. Adults large with massive pentagonal, strongly arched body and confluent arms. Abactinal-lateral and actinolateral edges round, producing a nearly circular appearance. Marginal plate limits and body surface concealed by thickened, granule-invested dermis. Pore areas well developed but irregular to confluent. Actinal granules, granule-invested dermis dense, obscuring limits of the plates. Modified from Marsh and Fromont (2020). Small individuals of Culcita are more flattened and pentagonal and appear more “goniasterid-like” (Kano et al., 1991). Comments. Culcita includes three accepted species, C. novaeguineae, C. coriacea and C. schmideliana, known from Indo-Pacific, Red Sea and Indian Ocean habitats respectively.